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Holland County F.C.
| dissolved = | ground = Pride Park | capacity = 9,140 | owner = | chairman = | manager = Michael Tarrant | coach = | currentleague = League B | currentposition = | lastseason = | lastleagueb = League B | lastposition = 7th | current = | website = | firstgame = | largestwin = | worstdefeat = | topscorer = | fansgroup = | honours = | American = }} Holland County Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Kirstenburg, St. Gregory. The team plays in League B, the second tier of the St. Gregory Football Association. The club enjoyed a successful spell in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with two separate spells in the first tier, League A, however they were unable to maintain their place and have been on a steady decline since contesting the 2004 SGFA Cup Final. Their most recent stint in League C began following relegation in controversial circumstances in 2015 (see History). The team play their home matches at the 9,140-capacity Pride Park. History In the early 1990s, Dutch footballing pride was on a high following the national team's strong showing at Euro 1992. Following that tournament, many people in the Dutch-heavy population of Kirstenburg, the capital of Hollandia Province, began to make their voices heard that they wanted a professional football club in their town to join the others that had been emerging all over St. Gregory. It was not until April 1994, however, that the Holland County Football Club would be established by a group of locals. With the new club came the promise of a new stadium before the turn of the century, and on June 20, 1994, the club was given approval by the SGFA for a professional license. The same day, the Netherlands defeated Saudi Arabia 2-1 at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The club was entered into League C, making them the 10th club in that league and officially the 32nd member club of the SGFA, for their inaugural season in 1995-96. Despite going out in the first round of the 1995-96 SGFA Cup at the hands of Crusaders, Holland County defied all predictions by finishing as League C runners-up in their first season, earning promotion to League B. The following season, 1996-97, they finished eighth in League B, above what would have been a relegation place despite the fact that no clubs were relegated that season due to a pending expansion of the league. After establishing themselves as a League B side, the club earned their second promotion in only three seasons of play by finishing as champions of League B in 1997-98, the first trophy in the club's history. Not surprisingly, they struggled in their first-ever League A season the following year, but finished 14th, one place above relegation, to remain in the top flight for another year. Their luck finally ran out in 1999-2000, however, as they finished bottom of the league and were relegated back to League B. The next two seasons saw successive promotion and relegation again, as County finished runners-up in League B and then bottom of League A once more. County reached the 2004 SGFA Cup Final, becoming only the third club from outside League A to reach the Final in the competition's (at the time) 24-year history. They were defeated 1-0 by Swifton Athletic. The 2014-15 League B season would end in controversy for County as they were docked 10 competition points for fielding an ineligible player, Marco Zambrano. The penalty dropped County to 15th place in League B, resulting in their relegation back to League C, and Zambrano was allowed to leave on a free transfer to Eastport Americans. In 2017-18, Holland County finished runners-up in League C and won promotion back to League B. Colors, crest and nickname The club takes its name from Hollandia Province, of which their hometown of Kirstenburg is the capital. The province, which occupies much of the northwestern part of the island of St. Gregory, was the center of Dutch exploration to the island in the 17th Century and the culture of that area has a strong Dutch influence. Accordingly, Holland County chose the Dutch national color of orange as its club color. The team is also nicknamed the Dutchmen by fans, or the Lions, as a lion is featured on the crest. Kits As of 2014, Holland County's uniforms are supplied by Macron. The shirt sponsor is SmartCart. Rivalries County's rivalries are mostly with St. Gregory's other professional clubs that claim Dutch origins. The nearest of these, geographically, is with Swifton Athletic (who also wear orange), although rivalries with Helena United and Sparta Antillen are also considered important. Players Current squad : As of August 21, 2018 Note: Players without a flag are from St. Gregory. Players with an asterisk (*) are from outside the United States or its territories, or have represented a non-U.S. territory at international level, but hold either citizenship or permanent residency in the U.S. and thus do not count towards the league cap on foreign players. Out on loan Former players :Further information: Category:Holland County F.C. players Honors * League B :*'Champions (1)': 1997-98 :*''Runners-up (1): 2017-18 * 'SGFA Cup' :*''Runners-up (1): 2003-04 Category:Club pages Category:Holland County F.C.